In order to create more awareness in the North Bank Region (NBR), the Office of the Ombudsman conducted a series of sensitisation programmes in the region from 17 September 20118 to 21 September 2018.
Two workshops were held one of which was for public officers which drew participants from the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC and other public officers in the region.
The other workshop was organized for community representatives and the participants were drawn from among village heads ( Alkalolus), the youth and the elderly, and both genders were represented.
The workshop for the public officers was opened by Deputy Governor Aji Fatou Joof while the workshop for community representatives was opened by the chairman of Kerewan Area Council, Mr Momodou Lamin Bojang.
Both dignitaries commended the efforts of the Ombudsman in the dispensation of administrative justice and for coming down to the regions to sensitize the people. Both officials talked about the importance of the Ombudsman in our democratization process, and the work of the Office in promoting peace and empowering the people.
As a sequel to the workshops, two institutional and seven community clinics were held. The institutional clinics were held in the premises of the selected institutions: Kerewan Health Centre and Njaba Kunda Health Centre.
The community clinics were held in the communities of Bali, Sicka, Chile etc. The meetings were held in the bantabas to enable all the members of the communities to attend.
The members of the communities and participants at the workshops commended the Ombudsman for meeting them in their region to sensitise them.
Radio programmes were also organized in the form of phone-in programmes on the North Bank Community Radio. The phone-in programmes afforded the members of the communities the opportunity to participate by way of questions and comments
Complaints were received at the workshops, clinics and even during radio programmes, which is an indication of the success of the sensitisation programmes. This is because one of the objectives of creating awareness is the get more people to complain to the Ombudsman so as to help them out of their problems.
The Office is currently running TV adverts on GRTS and radio adverts on Paradise FM in English, Fula, Wolof and Mandinka